This invention relates to the designing or selecting of mattresses and mattress and box spring foundation unit assemblies that are most suitable for persons of various body types, and particularly to the providing of customized mattresses or mattress and box spring assemblies for individual persons.
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Many different mattresses and foundation units are currently available on the market. Each of these may provide acceptable comfort and support for some persons who use them, but all will be less suitable for at least some users. The differences among individual persons with respect to their body frames, physiques and weights and their individual physical characteristics and desires are large. These differences account for differences in the suitability of particular mattresses or mattress and box spring combinations among members of the public. Presently, there exist systems for determining how pressure may be distributed between the upper supporting surface of a mattress and a person reclining on the mattress. But systems that take into account the support provided by a mattress in maintaining alignment of the spine and other body parts for a particular person or particular type of person are not available.
A need exists for a bedding product providing system that gives users support as well as comfort, particularly a system for correlating the support capabilities of a mattress or mattress system with the support requirements of individual users. There is a particular need for systems for evaluating, designing or selecting particular mattresses or mattress systems for individuals of specific body characteristics and for designing, selecting or customizing such mattresses or mattress systems to meet the support and comfort requirements of such individuals.
An objective of the present invention is to provide specific individuals or persons of specific body types with mattresses or mattress and foundation sets that are particularly suited for optimal comfort and support.
A particular objective of the invention is to provide a system and method which determines both pressure distribution and body support requirements for providing mattress systems to individuals based on the particular body characteristics of the individual.
Further objectives of the present invention are to provide a system and method capable of optimizing pressure characteristics of a person on a mattress and capable of taking into account the support characteristics that the mattress provides for the person.
The present invention attains the above described objectives, overcomes the drawbacks of known systems of the prior art and fills the needs set forth above.
According to the principles of the present invention, data is acquired of the body characteristics of an individual customer. The data preferably includes body dimensions of the person such as, for example, height, torso length, hip width, waist width and shoulder width, as well as the overall weight of the person.
Preferably, the data is collected by providing a pressure sensor array on the surface of a standardized support such as an airbed mattress and collecting pressure data over the two-dimensional array. The overall air mattress pressure is also recorded. In the preferred embodiment, the data is processed by a computer which derives the body characteristics of the individual.
Further, according to the invention, data is provided that relates each of a plurality of bedding products, that is, mattresses and mattress and box spring combinations, having different design properties with body characteristic profiles of persons for whom the bedding product provides correct support. Preferably, this data is collected by causing each of a plurality of representative people to recline on each of the plurality of bedding products, evaluating and quantizing the support provided for that person, and measuring, using a pressure sensor array, the pressure distribution of the person when properly supported. Data which rates the support provided for such person by the bedding product as well as data which rates the pressure distribution are tabulated for each combination of bedding product and each body profile.
In one embodiment of the invention, body profiles of each of the representative people used to test the bedding products are classified by having each such person recline on a test device that includes a test pad on the air mattress. The test pad and air mattress system is standardized so that the data is taken under conditions that are the same for each of the prospective customers of a bedding product. Air pressure sensors are connected to the air mattress to provide data of the total air pressure in the mattress, or on various zones of the mattress, when a person is lying on the test device. The test pad includes an orthogonal array of pressure transducers, for example 30xc3x9730 array of pressure sensors, that measure local pressures exerted between the pad and the body of the person lying on the device.
With the preferred embodiment, a large number of body types are tabulated. A large number of bedding products are also evaluated. These bedding, products include unique combinations of box spring, inner spring, and various layers of padding or fill, including, for example, bottom fill and top fill. With combinations made up, for example, of four box springs, seven inner springs, four types of bottom fill and two types of top fill, a total of 168 mattress and box spring combinations are possible. Each combination is evaluated with respect to each of several different body types. The product evaluations may be carried out with each of a representative plurality of physically different test persons lying on each product and data being taken to quantitatively rate each such product with respect to support and pressure distribution it provides to each such test person. Each test person is also tested on the standardized pad and airbed system and the body type of each such test person is automatically classified by the computer. A table evaluating each bedding product for each body type can be generated.
In the preferred embodiment of the invention, rather than providing data for each of a plurality of body types and for each of a plurality of bedding products, 168 bedding products in the example above, certain body characteristics can be correlated to coefficients for each of the various bedding components. For example, one coefficient can be derived from each body type as primarily affecting selection of the box spring, with another coefficient for inner spring, another for bottom fill and another for top fill. It is found that overall weight most affects the box spring selection, while weight distribution most affects inner spring selection. Various body dimensions affect selection of fills or padding.
According to alternative embodiments of the invention, instead of the customer reclining on a pressure array pad on an air mattress, no pressure pad array is used, but the person is asked to provide certain body characteristic information. In one such alternative embodiment, the person is asked to recline on a standardized airbed and an overall pressure reading is taken. The person answers a limited number of questions. The answers to the questions and the overall pressure reading are correlated by a computer with the mattress that most closely provides the optimal support and minimal pressure to a person most closely matching the body profile. This embodiment is suitable for providing a customer with the most suitable one of a small number of bedding products, for example four or five products, based on a minimum of questions, such as sex, age, height and whether a person experiences any particular pain. In another such alternative embodiment, no measurements are taken, but only questions are asked of the customer, and the questions are more extensive. Additional questions such as the weight of the person and various clothing sizes of the person are filled out on a questionnaire. This embodiment also is mainly suitable for selecting the best bedding product from among a relatively small number of possible products, for example, four.
The present invention allows a customer to enter a retail mattress store or the like, and purchase a mattress which is customized specifically for that person. The individual will be asked to lie down on an evaluation mattress and/or complete a questionnaire. In the preferred embodiment, where a pressure array pad is used in combination with an air mattress, the pad is positioned atop the standardized evaluation air mattress. The pad includes a plurality of pressure sensors that measure the pressure between the person lying on the mattress and the mattress. The computer scans the pressure data output by the sensors of the pad array and, by scanning the sensors in particular orders and interpreting the sensor outputs, the coordinates of the extremities of the person lying on the mattress are located and body dimensions and other parameters are determined. The pad gathers information from a person lying on the pad, such as the person""s height, the person""s weight, the distribution of the person""s weight or the support pressure value distribution over the various sensors of the array, the area over which the person""s weight is distributed, the width of the person""s shoulders, the width of the person""s waist area and the width of the person""s hips, and the weight born by certain areas of the pad such as that supporting the lumbar area. In particular, data correlated to the lumbar curve of the person""s back when in a lying position is derived.
From the measured and derived information, the system""s computer preferably generates a plurality of coefficients that are most useful for determining one or more mattress system components that provide the best comfort and support for the customer. A decision as to which mattress system design provides the best comfort and support for a person of a particular body type can be made by any of the various theories supported by professionals. The present invention assumes that the appropriate mattress system for a given body type is that which provides the lowest maximum pressure between the person and the upper support surface of the mattress while providing a spinal curvature that is regarded as proper by knowledgeable professionals.
In the illustrated embodiment of the invention, four coefficients are derived. These include a coefficient that relates to the box spring, one that relates to the innerspring, and two that relate to mattress fill materials, including one that relates to a bottom fill material which includes padding adjacent the innerspring unit, and one that relates to a top fill material which includes additional the quilted ticking and additional padding that provides the outer covering of the mattress. In determining the coefficients, the computer of the system computes the spinal support required for the individual and certain body weights and dimensions from the pressure pad data. The computer calculates and displays a body contact profile, a spinal support profile, body distribution profile and other comfort and support factors. A graph showing respiratory effort will be generated from the mattress on which the pad is placed. The coefficients that are generated from the evaluation system correlate to components available for manufacture of a mattress or foundation unit that will be custom built according to each customer""s unique body shape and weight or to select an available and compatible mattress and foundation unit from stock.
In the preferred embodiment, body type coefficients are produced and correlated with a table of product design parameters to arrive at the optimum bedding product for the user according to the user""s particular body type. The correlation table is preferably generated by a method of determining the support characteristics of each test mattress in a mattress retailer""s catalog or inventory relative to the weight and size profiles of a plurality of individual test persons. The method may, for example, include the steps of (a) measuring the weight distribution profiles of numerous different height, weight and shaped test persons; (b) measuring and determining the optional deflection profile of those same persons for optimal support; (c) inputting the information of steps (a) and (b) into a computerized control; (d) locating a selected mattress in a test apparatus; (e) applying a weight profile load of selected test profile persons to pistons connected to independently movable pressure plates of the test apparatus, which pressure plates are positioned and sized on the mattress so as to mimic the shape of the selected persons: (f) measuring the deflection of each pressure plate into the test mattress; and (g) comparing the measured deflection characteristics of the test mattress to the optional support deflections for the test profile persons. Alternatively, the table may be generated by a method of determining the support characteristics of each test mattress relative to human weight and size test person profiles by (a) measuring the weight distribution profile of numerous different height, weight and shaped test persons; (b) measuring and determining the optional deflection profile of those same persons for optimal support; (c) inputting the information of (a) and (b) into a computerized control; (d) locating a selected mattress in a test apparatus; (e) applying optimum deflection characteristics profile of a selected test profile person to that mattress by applying pressure to pistons connected to independently movable pressure plates of test apparatus, which pressure plates are positioned and sized so as to mimic the shape of the selected test profile person; and (e measuring the pressure on the pistons to obtain this optimum deflection.